Review on FINDKING'S Dynasty Kiritsuke Knife - The Perfect Multi-Purpose Gyuto Chef Knife For Cutting Meat, Fruits And Vegetables by Jonathan Partridge

I recently purchased this 9" Kiritsuke and the 5" Utility knife and am very impressed with these wonderful blades.I have always wanted a Shun or Yoshihiro VG10 Steel Gyuto style Japanese knife for my kitchen, but my lifestyle had never lent an environment where I felt I could own a multi-hundred dollar kitchen knife and expect it to be all it was meant to be without getting destroyed by misuse, lack of proper care and cleaning, and a potential for it to just go missing one-day. Now, I'm entering a time in my life where I COULD do that, however, I wanted to crawl before I walk before I run.I'm certain this $57 knife nor its $30 little brother would not hold it's own against one of the previously mentioned knives or anything else offered by those knife makers. That said, I am not a Chef and I do not have to depend on these knives in order to make my living. I do, however, enjoy cooking and when my prep time is reduced by having a sharp blade that can make the work quicker and more enjoyable, it seems the food is better, the mood is better, and everyone is satisfied.I take pride in having sharp knives and my past experiences with even higher-end German cutlery was that of constant maintenance. I had my whetstones out every 6 months, it seems, and was always running the blades across a steele to get that edge to liven up after only a few uses. These blades have not enjoyed as much use as my prior knives because I'm not currently cooking as often as I once did, but I have noticed that they were sharp enough for most people's standards right out of the box. I used them once, enjoyed the experience, but wanted to see how much more I could get out of them. I got out my whetstones and went to work on them. A 300 grit to fine tune the shape and define my edge angle, followed by a 1,000 grit to refine the edge a bit, then a 6,000 grit to remove any stray burs and give a slight polish, then a 12,000 grit to truly polish the edges.These knives are sharp. I've used them quite a bit on a mixture of bamboo and plastic cutting boards for a mixture of fruits, veggies, and meats, and have not had to hone or re-polish the edges since. They're holding an edge perfectly and continue to make me smile while working on prepping for my meals.Did I mention they look cool? The black looks painted on, but it doesn't affect the performance and since I hand wash these, it's not like the high-heat of a dishwasher is testing the durability of the paint (if it is paint). The texture helps with food releasing from the blade, so I like having that too. The octagonal shaped handle is great, not slippery - even with wet hands.On this blade (the Kiritsuke), beware of how you handle the knife. I have found it very easy, when taking it off the wall magnet and regripping to begin my prep, to poke myself with the rear portion of the blade where it swoops back towards the handle. It is the shape of this particular blade that lends itself to this and not necessarily a fault to the knife, just in practice of how to handle this knife.Looking for entry level Japanese inspired kitchen knives made of hard steel (not soft German steel)? Look no further. Buy the whole set. That's my next move.